On Friday, Oct. 27, Becky Parton, dean, LLCC Academic Innovation and eLearning; Barry Lamb, director, LLCC Instructional Technology Services; and Amanda Wiesenhofer, electronic resources and library systems administrator presented at the ForwardFocus:  Inspiring Library Innovation Conference at Illinois Central College in Peoria, Illinois. ForwardFocus 2017 was dedicated to open educational resources (OER) in community colleges. As institutions struggle to cut costs and eliminate barriers to student achievement, librarians are called to find solutions. OER initiatives have gained momentum and offer a promising path to overcoming budget constraints and textbook affordability issues for students.

Becky, Barry, and Amanda gave their presentation, “Pilot, Pilot, Pilot,” which presented an overview of the professional development workshop series offered through AIEL last spring. In this workshop series, participants learned to utilize instructional design fundamentals, SoftChalk Cloud and OER to create digital textbooks to share with students for free through Blackboard, with the goal of reducing textbook costs for LLCC students. Please click here to view the recorded presentation, which provides an overview of the professional development program, a discussion of the development of the program, as well as the results of the programs pilot offering and plans for continuation.

The James S. Murray Gallery is featuring the art exhibit, “Nexus: Drawing in Printmaking,” a portfolio invitational curated by Micah Zavacky through Nov. 16. The exhibit is open for viewing Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. The gallery is located on the upper level of Menard Hall.

The invitational portfolio is comprised of 19 artists that view printmaking as an extension of drawing. All prints were completed in 2016.

“A ‘nexus’ is defined as a connection or series of connections that link people, places and/or things,” explains Zavacky, MFA printmaking candidate at Illinois State University. “This portfolio is an intersection of various drawing vocabularies, printmaking processes and subject matter. The artists are innovative, yet are attuned with tradition, thoughtful and committed to the syntax of printmaking.”

Thanks to Dr. Chris McDonald, professor of political science, who took these photos of pelicans on Lake Springfield near campus and of a kingfisher and wood ducks on LLCC’s Lake Macoupin.

Today, Nov. 1, is the deadline to make the deposit that secures plane ticket costs for the two-week culinary-focused trip to Italy May 27-June 10, 2018. Interested individuals should contact Nancy Sweet, director of LLCC culinary operations and programs, at 649-0798 or nancy.sweet@llcc.edu.

View the trip brochure and information sheet.

LLCC Culinary Arts is planning this trip, which is open to students and the community. In conjunction with Centro Studi Italiani in Urbania, Italy, participants will travel to three areas: the Marche region, nestled between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea; the food valley area of Modena and Parma, located in the Emilia-Romagna region and known for prosciutto, balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese; and finally the city of Rome, the capital of Italy.

While there, various classes will be held in Italian language, culture and culinary heritage and tradition of Italy. This culinary immersion will also include meeting with culinary experts, local wine and food producers, restaurant owners and culinary entrepreneurs. Excursions to destinations with high artistic interest and natural beauty around Italy will provide a well-rounded perspective of Italian life and culture.

The LLCC Choir will perform today at 12:15 p.m. in A. Lincoln Commons as part of the LLCC Recital Series. The recital is entitled “Love and All That Jazz” and will feature jazz, pop and holiday selections. The LLCC Choir is under the direction of See Tsai Chan.

All LLCC Recital Series performances are free and open to the public. Upcoming recitals include:

• Wednesday, Nov. 29 – LLCC Student Honors Recital, 7 p.m., Menard Hall, room 2250
• Sunday, Mar. 25 – Chamber Music Recital with Brick House Brass and Blackwater Strings, 4 p.m., Trutter Center
• Sunday, Apr. 8 – LLCC Choir Concert, 4 p.m., Trutter Center
• Wednesday, May 2 – LLCC Student Honors Recital, 7 p.m., Menard Hall, room 2250

Kathy Wanless recently joined LLCC as our education field experience coordinator. She retired in June from Springfield Public Schools District 186 after 35 years as an educator. For the past 10 years, she was principal of Owen Marsh Elementary School. Kathy earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in educational administration from Illinois State University. She can be reached at 786-4939 or kathy.wanless@llcc.edu.

LLCC Culinary Arts is planning a two-week, culinary-focused trip to Italy May 27-June 10, 2018, which is open to students and the community. Tomorrow, Nov. 1, is the deadline to make the deposit that secures plane ticket costs. Interested individuals should contact Nancy Sweet, director of LLCC culinary operations and programs, at 649-0798 or nancy.sweet@llcc.edu.

View the trip brochure and information sheet.

The trip, in conjunction with Centro Studi Italiani in Urbania, Italy, will travel to three areas: the Marche region, nestled between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea; the food valley area of Modena and Parma, located in the Emilia-Romagna region and known for prosciutto, balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese; and finally the city of Rome, the capital of Italy.

While there, various classes will be held in Italian language, culture and culinary heritage and tradition of Italy. This culinary immersion will also include meeting with culinary experts, local wine and food producers, restaurant owners and culinary entrepreneurs. Excursions to destinations with high artistic interest and natural beauty around Italy will provide a well-rounded perspective of Italian life and culture.

The Environmental Health and Safety Team met on Sept. 28. They discussed the team’s vacancies, elected officials and by position members,  as well as first aid kits and state maps for the college vehicles. See the meeting agenda and minutes. They are also available on the team’s portal page.

Join us in welcoming new LLCC staff members!

Whitney Brandenburg is our new workforce development program coordinator at LLCC’s Capital City Training Center. She previously worked as an admission counselor for the adult accelerated programs at Benedictine University. Whitney graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in management and organizational behavior and a Master of Business Administration from Benedictine University. She can be reached at 785-0477 or whitney.brandenburg@llcc.edu.

Libby Tennikait has returned to LLCC as an academic success professional in the LLCC Center for Academic Success where she specializes in science study skills. She previously worked for LLCC as a study skills specialist, after which she taught full time at Springfield High School and then Rochester High School. Libby earned her bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University. She can be reached at 786-2396 or elizabeth.tennikait@llcc.edu.

At the Oct. 25 board meeting, the LLCC Board of Trustees approved the hiring of Dr. Vern Lindquist as vice president of academic services. Dr. Lindquist is presently the dean of faculty and chief academic officer at Richard Bland College of William & Mary in Petersburg, Va. Prior to that, he served as the dean of liberal arts and sciences at the State University of New York at Delhi. He holds a doctor of philosophy in English from Indiana University. Dr. Lindquist will be starting at LLCC on Jan. 3, 2018.